Widener University School of Law is pleased to announce the Delaware Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on the Wilmington campus on Wednesday, Feb. 27. The Court will convene in the Ruby R. Vale Moot Courtroom to hear two cases beginning at 10 a.m.

Each case will be heard by a three-justice panel. They are:

10 a.m. Raymond Blake v. State of Delaware. This appeal raises questions about the principles of double jeopardy with regard to a drug case involving charges of cocaine and heroin possession with intent to distribute.

Attorneys who will argue on both sides of the case are Widener Law alumnae. Assistant Public Defender Nicole M. Walker, who represents Blake, graduated in 2000. Deputy Attorney General Elizabeth R. McFarlan, who will argue for the state, graduated in 1998.

11 a.m. New Cingular v. Sussex County Board of Adjustment. This appeal examines whether the board relied on the correct standard of review in its decision denying a special use exception for the construction of a new cell tower.

Attorney Robert V. Witsil Jr., one of two lawyers representing the Sussex County Board of Adjustment, is a 1980 Widener Law alumnus.

“Widener Law looks forward to this annual visit from the Delaware Supreme Court. It provides a valuable teaching tool and enriches the legal education we provide our students,” Law Dean Linda L. Ammons said. “It is a highlight of our spring semester at Widener Law and we are grateful to the members of the Court – and Court personnel – for continuing to make this possible.”

The arguments will mark the seventh consecutive year the Court has visited the law school. The oral arguments are open to the public and will follow the same protocol the Court uses when it sits in its own courtroom in Dover.

Everyone who attends the hearings must submit to a security check before entering the Vale Courtroom. Capitol Police will be on campus the day of oral arguments to provide security for the Court, as the officers normally do when the Court sits in Dover. No one may enter or exit the courtroom after an oral argument has started, although entry and exit between oral arguments are permitted. Anyone who creates a disturbance must leave the courtroom and may not return, and the Court prohibits outward displays of emotion by people in the gallery.

Food, drink, cell phones and all other portable electronic devices, including tablets and laptop computers, will not be allowed in the courtroom.